Hi!
My name is Fredrik Henriksson and I'm a swedish fellow who doesn't own an El Camino.....yet!

I'm having some trouble deciding wich Camino I want.
I've been looking for an El Camino 1973 and I've found one SS and one standard.
The standard El Camino I've found is in very good condition and costs approx $7,800. http://www.millners.nu/elcamino.htm (wrong front)
The SS costs approx $8000 but needs some bodywork. there are some dents that needs fixing and a new paintcoat. http://www.usabil.nu/databas/Detalj.asp?ID=69913

My question for you guys is; Which one do you think i should buy?
US cars are quite expensive in sweden so just compare the two, and give me an idea of which one is worth it's money.

My other question is; what are the big difference between the standard and the SS version?

And my final question; Are the parts from the fourth generations El caminos changeable with one another? I mean, can i take the front from a 77 camino and put on a 73?

Hope you guys can help me to decide, and then i might be an el camino owner myself! =)

Not sure what to tell you on the value except the SS if Real is always given equal condition worth more $. However the year has a lot to do with it if you were looking at a 1972 SS BB, SS car it would be at least double and the standard would be close to the same and more yet for then 71,70,69,68 and so on over the 1973 model year.
If you are going to buy the car to drive and play cars and not restore it than take the best car mechanicaly ie: brakes ,tires,uhpolestry and of course engine, but mainly the items of cost that must go into the car now. If you are going to restore it to a weekend show car and drive it to and from and make it your baby. You know! ie: put on new seats some glass a lot of trim pull the engine and return the engine bay to new conditions and paint the car than take the SS car. If you are going to hot rod the car with some custom treatments and do not care about the car being badged or trimmed correct than take the best of the two cars as you will be killing its stock stance anyway.
These answer should get you confused, remember that pictures can not buy a car they are only taken to sell a car.

Good luck

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Well it looks like someone already answered you question about swapping front ends, it was done. The Non-SS has a newer front end.

The SS has hood stripes, that is not correct. The ones on the side are but the ones on the hood are not, they were added later.

The non-SS looks pretty nice but pictures don't explain well all the problems.

Check for Bondo patches with a magnet. Especially around the wheel wells, bottom of the doors etc... Also check the floor pans under the carpet for rust, especially in the back floor. If the magnet doesn't stick to any part of the body panel or is really loose in an area there is Bondo there.

If I picked, I'd probably take the SS - My self. But the other looks and sounds like it's in much better shape.

It is going to be your decision.

Generally in 73 the SS was an appearance package but did offer a Big Block engine in the SS as opposed to the 350 that came in the rest. So, in the SS I'd expect to see Bucket seats, console, floor shift, gauges, and a Big Block Chevy Engine and a THM 400 with a 12 bolt rear differential.

Here this is from Dan Carr's page on how to spot a Real/Fake SS

"1972 was the last year for a lot of things. For example, it was the last year for the LS5 454, the 396/402, and the 307. In '73 the Chevelle line was completely redesigned with driving comfort being the major theme rather than performance. There was still an SS-454 package available. It used the low-compression LS4 454 rated at 245 horsepower. This motor was less powerful than the earlier LS5, although with the right tuning, head porting and pistons it could equal the LS5. The LS4 had a cast crankshaft when mated to automatic transmissions, and a forged crankshaft when mated to a 4-speed manual. In 1973, an SS package was available with either a 350 or a 454 engine. A few post-'72 454/4-speed cars were built. These are seldom seen and are becoming more sought-after. Unlike previous years, it was possible to order the 454 without the SS package. There was also an SS package available for the '73 Chevelle wagon. These are fairly rare and few details are known. Baldwin Motion (famous for their hot "tuned" muscle cars of the late '60s) had one more card to play in '73. The '73 Baldwin Motion SS-454 Chevelle was the most potent of all the special cars that they had built. At least one example is known to have survived.

Around 1974 the "Laguna S-3" package was introduced. It was similar to the '73 Chevelle SS package. The "S-3" package was available only on the Chevelle, not the El Camino or Sprint (they still had the SS and SP packages). 1975 was the last year you could get a 454 in the Chevelle, El Camino, or Sprint. Like the earlier SS-454s, the '73-'75 SS-454s are scarce today. However, they are not in demand as much as the '72 and earlier SS-454s. The same is true for the SP-454, although it is even rarer than any '73-up SS-454.

The Sprint SP package was available until 1977. 1977 was also the last year of production for the Sprint. "

I hope this helps. If you'd like to read more on this here is the link.

Hello, I have recently acquired a 1972 El Camino SS?? the vin number is 1D80W2K572881 which i have determined through the vin number that it is a custom edition but realize that doesn't mean its a real SS. Cool car with a straight rust free body but some interior stuff has been changed along with the addition of a/c and a serpentine belt. Over the years I am sure other stuff has been changed but really need to figure out how I can tell for sure.

The VIN is saying it's an El Camino Custom (1D80) with a 454 CI engine (W) built in 1972 (2) Assembly in Kansas (K) Production number 72881 (52881). The GM heritage center will have a manual that you'll find interesting.

The standard model doesn't have the metal drip rails above the doors. Not sure if the SS model does. I used the metal drip rails from a Classic on my standard plain-jane '75...
Driving with the widow cracked open a bit in rain, works better & dryer with the drip rails..

The SS model designation doesn't mean much after 1972. Had a '76...

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